Self-Locking Pipe Tapping Assembly with Pivoting Locking Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tapping methods for pipes and tanks, especially buried ones, face challenges such as limited access for applying tapping bands, difficulty in maintaining space, and the risk of losing small parts in muddy conditions, which complicates the secure attachment of branching pipes or taps.
Innovation Solution
A tapping assembly with a contoured body, pivotally attached locking members, and a cap that forms a circular threaded opening, allowing secure attachment and sealing, even in confined spaces, with optional stiffening inserts for reinforcement and angled tapping capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional tapping band is used to surround the pipe, then a secure foundation for branching pipes can be provided, but access to the entire periphery of the pipe becomes difficult and time-consuming, especially for buried pipes
Solution Approach 1:
The tapping assembly is divided into separate components: a body portion that attaches to the pipe, multiple locking members that can be independently positioned, and a cap that secures everything together. This segmentation allows the assembly to be installed from a single access point rather than requiring circumferential access.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking members are received within slots in the body portion, and the cap encloses all components. The nested structure allows compact installation within the pipe wall without requiring external space for multiple separate components.
2Reliability
If traditional tapping devices with many small parts are used, then secure attachment can be achieved, but small parts such as bolts can easily be dropped and lost in muddy conditions
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple locking members are combined into a single integrated assembly with the body and cap. The locking members are received within slots in the body portion and secured by the cap, preventing them from being lost. This merging of components eliminates the risk of losing small parts in muddy conditions.
3Reliability
If the base portion is contoured to match the pipe surface, then the tapping assembly can sit flush against the pipe, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contoured feature is applied only to the base portion that contacts the pipe outer surface, while the internal locking mechanism and cap remain relatively simple. This localized contouring achieves flush attachment without requiring complex design throughout the entire assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tapping assembly provides a secure, efficient, and space-efficient means to create taps on pipes and tanks, minimizing the risk of parts loss and ensuring a tight seal, while accommodating angled installations and preventing deformation under pressure.
Implementation Method 1
The at least two locking members are pivotally attached to, and located at, diametrically opposed locations on the inner wall of the base
Implementation Method 2
The inner faces of the least two locking members combine to provide a circular threaded opening. The cap has an inner portion, a flange, and an outer portion, and the inner portion extends outwardly from the flange portion, and has a circular cross-section with a matching diameter and an external thread that matches the threaded opening
Implementation Method 3
Each locking member has an arcuate profile, and an inner face that is threaded, and an outer face that includes a flanged portion at the end that extends below the base portion
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a tapping assembly for use on a pipe or tank. It includes a hollow body that sits flush on the outer wall of the pipe or tank and includes a plurality of locking members that sit flush within the body and form a threaded portion into which a cap is insertable. Each locking member extends into the interior of the pipe or tank, and has an outwardly extending flanged portion that engages with the inner sidewall of the pipe or tank. When the cap is tightened against the body, it causes each of the locking member to retract, thereby causing the respective flange portions to lock the assembly against the pipe or tank wall. The assembly can be manufactured to provide either an orthogonal tap, or an angled tap, relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, or plane of the tank sidewall.